Machuca is a Chilean film released in 2004 directed by Andres Wood, following the relationship between a wealthy boy, and Machuca, his poor school friend whom is a recipient of a scholarship from the Catholic Church allowing him to attend the same school. The narrative of the movie explores the world of the protagonists and their families influenced by the politics of the Chilean society during themilitary coup in Chile on 11th of September 1973.
Through the eyes of a sensitive rich boy, we can refer to some of the rhetoric aspects of the film. In the innocent young life of the students we can find some kind of equity in education which should provide similar opportunities for two different class worlds. (Leith, 1989). This is highlighted during the scenes of the army taking control of the school from the church and creating a division between the students, with an officer proclaiming “the priests are no longer in the school, we do not want more lazy people here, we will do a deep cleaning” as he wipes dust from Machuca’s desk.
According to Martin-Cabrera, ‘Machuca makes visible the perpetuation of class conflict as the basis of the present democratic order in Chile through the constant juxtaposition of visual markers of class (clothing, housing, access to commodities, etc.) and through the experiment of the school and its tragic consequences’ (2007). This climaxes during a scene when the wealthy student Gonzalo is caught by the army playing together with Machuca and Silvana, another school friend, in the shantytown. Silvana and the two boys were playfully kissing, perhaps symbolising the innocence and unconditional acceptance of children and Silvana representing equality, as she agreed to kiss both boys regardless of their backgrounds. This thought takes more relevance once the army ambushes their neighbourhood and kills Silvana, representing the consequences of not abiding by the army control. To escape capture by the army, Gonzalo exclaims “look at me” referring to his clothing and allowing him to go free knowing he is of a higher class, highlighting the inequality of class.
Martín-Cabrera explains about the radical justice attempts of the film, to bring the historical past into the present to interrupt the reproduction of a neoliberal order predicated on the ongoing exercise of violence to preserve class privileges (2007). The medium of film helps to build awareness of the political economic situation through mass media (Grisold, 2017). Ariel Mateluna, the actor who played Machuca in the film laments “It’s a film recorded 16 years ago, narrating what happened 46 years ago. The first thing that happens to me when I see that it is remembered is that we have not advanced anything as a country”, (L.L.C.,2019). Although there is increased awareness of class inequality in Chile, Machuca is still very relevant today.
References
Grisold, A & Theine, H 2017, ‘How Come We Know? The Media Coverage of Economic Inequality’, International Journal of Communication.
Leith, D & Myerson, G 1989, ‘The Power of Address: Explorations in Rhetoric’, Routledge, London.
Martín-Cabrera, Luis, & Voionmaa, Daniel Noemi. (2007). ‘Class Conflict, State of Exception and Radical Justice in Machuca by Andrés Wood’. Journal of Latin American Cultural Studies : Travesía, 16(1), 63.
Translated by ContentEngine, L.L.C. 2019, Ariel Mateluna calls for “let the Machuca of now keep fighting”, English ed. edn, Miami.
Wood, A., et al. (2004). Machuca. [Venice, Calif.], Menemsha Films.
